The present invention concerns architectural structures, and more particularly, relates to an architectural cover panel system for covering structural support members. Architectural cover panels are typically employed to provide aesthetically pleasing coverings over structural support members such as bridge girders, building columns, and beam members, such as I-beams. These cover panels also provide some protection to the structural support member from the elements and may otherwise serve to seal the underlying support structure from intrusions, such as for example bird nestings.
Conventional architectural cover panels are generally configured as flat sheets of relatively thick material which are attached to an exposed side of a structural support member. One example of a conventional architectural cover panel is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,538,664 to L. Frandsen et al. Because of their generally planar configuration, conventional architectural cover panels require significant rigidity and strength to resist wind loading forces which could otherwise deform, dismember or dislodge the panel. Accordingly, conventional cover panels can add significant weight to the entire load supported by the underlying structural member. Fitting conventional architectural cover panels to a structural support member can also be an expensive, labor and time intensive effort since the panels have to be cut and trimmed in order to fit a variety of complex curves and shapes of the structural support member. Thus there still exists a need for a light-weight architectural cover panel which is adaptable to the varying dimensions and shapes of differing structural support members but adequately resistant to wind loading forces.